Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Can David Nutt wean us off the demon drink with his alcohol substitute?

Nutt's alcohol substitute is a benzodiazepine derivative, but he is adamant that what he is offering is more than just another form of Valium. It targets the same sites in the brain, but he believes the drug will not cause the same problems with addiction and withdrawal. "Modern science allows us to target the relaxing and intoxicating part, while avoiding the bad parts like addiction and withdrawal," he said.
The drug is already used in humans for other indications, he adds. "Addiction is a complex process. I am confident that the physically addictive properties of this drug are minimal, and that it is much less addictive than alcohol."

Holy Red Flag Batman- if I had a dollar for every time a scientist has said that...

Well how about that

Type 1 diabetes: Vitamin D deficiency occurs in an early stage

Children who had not yet developed clinical type 1 diabetes but who have multiple positive autoantibodies in their blood were found to have lower vitamin D levels than children without diabetes-specific autoantibodies. Interestingly, the differences in vitamin D levels were most prevalent in the summer months. ... The team of scientists headed by Jennifer Raab, Dr. Christiane Winkler and Professor Anette-Gabriele Ziegler compared the vitamin D measurements taken from 108 children who were tested positive for islet autoantibodies with 406 children without autoantibodies. Lower vitamin D levels were also found in 244 children who had recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
"Vitamin D deficiency precedes the onset of type 1 diabetes. This may be a consequence of an immune response," Professor Ziegler says. "In the case of prediabetic children, we must therefore be mindful of the risk of vitamin D deficiency and consider recommending vitamin D supplementation at an early stage of type 1 diabetes."

abstract

Just FYI-  The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency in US adults between 2005-2006 was 41.6%, with the highest rate seen in blacks (82.1%), followed by Hispanics (69.2%).

Cause and Effect

Tooth extraction prior to cardiac surgery may increase risk of adverse outcomes

Cardiac surgeon Joseph A. Dearani, MD, along with anesthesiologists Mark M. Smith, MD and Kendra J. Grim, MD, and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., evaluated the occurrence of major adverse outcomes in 205 patients who underwent at least one dental extraction prior to planned cardiac surgery from 2003 to 2013. The median time from dental extraction to cardiac surgery was 7 days (average 35 days).

"Guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association label dental extraction as a minor procedure, with the risk of death or non-fatal heart attack estimated to be less than 1%," explained Dr. Smith. "Our results, however, documented a higher rate of major adverse outcomes, suggesting physicians should evaluate individualized risk of anesthesia and surgery in this patient population."

In this study, patients who underwent dental extraction prior to cardiac surgery experienced an 8% incidence of major adverse outcomes, including new heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and death. Overall, 3% of patients died after dental extraction and before the planned cardiac surgery could be performed.

As I posted recently-  the majority of invasive dental procedures result in immediate bacteremia.   And dental microbes in the bloodstream CAUSE heart disease... not to mention immune shock reactions.

I'm pretty sure a variation of this is creating a whole lot of cardiac problems.  People go on Medicare and can finally afford dental work- and within a year they need to have some emergency stents put in.
Would explain a few people I know, anyway...

Quote of the Day

"Sugar has become the new fat." 

No mention of insulin response, but I'll give the article a thumbs-up anyway.

Self Inflicted Research

In Search of the Perfect Gut Microbiome with a Tribe of Tanzanian Hunter-Gatherers

Leach already investigated the effects of different diets on his microbiome—a collective term for the community of microorganisms that lives in your body—throughout 2013 by mapping his Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes levels (the two main bacterial phyla in the human gut) whilst changing the amounts of meat and fibre he ate. In 2014, he aims to bring his research to new and interesting heights with some really drastic research methods. The aim: to find the healthiest gut microbiome.
Throughout this year, Leach will undertake some radical diet and lifestyle changes to really knock his microbiome off kilter. He plans to explore the impact on his body of drinking binges and smoking copious amounts of weed, all while following certain diets. He will go on a raw food diet, a juicing diet, a vegan diet, an Atkins-type diet, a Mediterranean diet, a Paleo diet, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers diets … the list goes on, like a conversation you might hear if you hang around Whole Foods long enough. 

I doubt he makes it through more than a few without getting pretty sick.  Or crazy.  That's just not healthy.
And I'd bet some real money the optimal microbiome of dark skinned Africans is not optimal for pale European descendants. Those Neanderthals donated a few metabolic genes along the way.

The Guinea Pig Generation

Soy isoflavones may accelerate progression of breast cancer

Women with estrogen-responsive breast cancer who consume soy protein supplements containing isoflavones to alleviate the side effects of menopause may be accelerating progression of their cancer, changing it from a treatable subtype to a more aggressive, less treatable form of the disease, new research suggests.
The study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, raises troubling questions about the safety and the potential health consequences associated with long-term use of dietary supplements containing soy isoflavones, such as the phytoestrogen genistein.
Estradiol and all three genistein concentrations stimulated tumor growth in mice, but when the estradiol implants and higher-dose dietary genistein (750 ppm) were removed, the tumors regressed completely.

I remember when that stuff was considered miracle food for middle aged women.

Paternal Endowments

This study seems to be getting a lot of press-

Huge study links older dads with kids' psych woes

Compared with kids of the youngest dads, those fathered by men at age 45 and older faced risks almost 25 times greater for bipolar disorder; 13 times greater for ADHD; more than three times greater for autism; almost three times greater for suicide attempts; and about two times greater for schizophrenia and substance abuse.

They speculate a lot about mutations in sperm, but I'm skeptical of that.
Older fathers probably have higher incidence and more severe chronic illnesses that they transmit to their children.
The most obvious way to test my infection hypothesis is to see if there is a difference between present vs. absent fathers.

Such a waste of perfectly good fruit flies

Scientists wake up to causes of sleep disruption in Alzheimer's disease

People with Alzheimer's often have poor biological rhythms, something that is a burden for both patients and their carers. Periods of sleep become shorter and more fragmented, resulting in periods of wakefulness at night and snoozing during the day. They can also become restless and agitated in the late afternoon and early evening, something known as 'sundowning'.

...They found that healthy flies were active during the day and slept at night, whereas those with Alzheimer's sleep and wake randomly. Crucially, however, the diurnal patterns of the luciferase-tagged protein were the same in both healthy and diseased flies, showing that the biological clock still ticks in flies with Alzheimer's.
"Until now, the prevailing view was that Alzheimer's destroyed the biological clock," said Crowther.
"What we have shown in flies with Alzheimer's is that the clock is still ticking but is being ignored by other parts of the brain and body that govern behaviour. If we can understand this, it could help us develop new therapies to tackle sleep disturbances in people with Alzheimer's."

Um, how about this?

The hypocretin system is affected in advanced AD. This is reflected in a 40% decreased cell number, and 14% lower CSF hypocretin-1 levels.

That might explain some of the insulin problems too, huh?

Crazy

I got over 2000 hits on my video last week.   What the hell?
Hope it was all narcoleptics... that would make me happy.

Another pregger post

Causal link found between vitamin D, serotonin synthesis and autism in new study

Serotonin and vitamin D have been proposed to play a role in autism, however, no causal mechanism has been established. Now, researchers show that serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, three brain hormones that affect social behavior related to autism, are all activated by vitamin D hormone. Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan would be a practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.
In this study, Dr. Patrick and Dr. Ames show that vitamin D hormone activates the gene that makes the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), that converts the essential amino acid tryptophan, to serotonin in the brain. This suggests that adequate levels of vitamin D may be required to produce serotonin in the brain where it shapes the structure and wiring of the brain, acts as a neurotransmitter, and affects social behavior. They also found evidence that the gene that makes the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) is inhibited by vitamin D hormone, which subsequently halts the production of serotonin in the gut and other tissues, where when found in excess it promotes inflammation.
This mechanism explains many of the known, but previously not understood, facts about autism including: 1) the "serotonin anomaly" low levels of serotonin in the brain and high levels in the blood of autistic children; 2) the preponderance of male over female autistic children: estrogen, a similar steroid hormone, can also boost the brain levels of serotonin in girls; 3) the presence of autoimmune antibodies to the fetal brain in the mothers of autistic children: vitamin D regulates the production of regulatory T-cells via repression of TPH1.

 related post

Worse than Useless

Higher risks among perinatal women with bipolar disorder

Pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder more frequently have significant mental health and early mothering challenges than other perinatal women undergoing psychiatric treatment, according to a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The findings indicate the importance of properly identifying the disorder and developing specific treatments for women during and after pregnancy, the lead author said.

Maybe that's because pregnancy raises insulin levels. And cortisol levels.   And increases periodontal infection. And strep infections...  and that's just off the top of my head...

Frikkin Frakkin Psychs... perpetuating insanity for 100 years.

Correlation Games

Acetaminophen use in pregnancy linked to risk of ADHD

Women who took acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, while pregnant had a 37 percent higher risk of having a child who would be later given a hospital diagnosis of hyperkinetic disorder, a particularly severe form of ADHD, said the study in February 24 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics.

Compared to women who did not take acetaminophen while pregnant, women who did also had a 29 percent higher chance of having children who were later prescribed medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a 13 percent higher chance of exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors by age seven.

I'm pretty sure this has more to do with the fact those mothers were probably SICK during pregnancy, than the acetominophen.   Illness causes fever and pain, you know.

Somatoform. Disorder. Does. NOT. Exist.

They used to call it Hysteria...

Justina Pelletier’s mom faints after hearing decision to place sick teen in foster care

Linda Pelletier fainted and Lou Pelletier shouted angrily after hearing that Justina, who has spent more than a year in the custody of the state of Massachusetts, will be moving to a new foster care program in Essex County. They claim the child has been mistreated by Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

The mother clearly has hyperinsulinemia.   Probably narcolepsy judging by the stress reaction.
The daughter's mitochondrial diagnosis may be narcolepsy too.  At the cellular level, orexins augment mitochondria’s ability to burn sugar.
The girl's teeth look like they are deteriorating, and whatever underlying illness she has, the raised cortisol levels have now resulted in Cushings Syndrome.  (abdominal fat accumulation and red lines- classic symptoms).

They wasted an entire year giving that girl therapy (and most likely psychoactive drugs)- and fried her endocrine system.
Who's really crazy?

I had that nightmare...

No sign of brake failure in bus that crashed into Idaho Power headquarters

See the dash cam video: the bus was traveling north on South 13th Street shortly before 6:30 a.m. when, at Grove Street, it veered right to avoid a pickup truck ahead of it. The bus jumped the curb and crashed through at least one traffic sign post, five trees and two light poles in the Idaho Power parking lot. The bus continued across Main Street and slammed into a pillar at the base of the nine-story office building.

An investigator who reviewed all the video from the bus said in the crash report that the bus driver appeared to be very drowsy and closed his eyes for short periods of time before the crash.
“It also appeared that the driver had nodded off (eyes closed) while going north on 13th from the time he passed across Front until right before he came upon the pickup truck in front of him,” the investigator wrote in the ITD report.

Luckily nobody was seriously injured or killed.

How do you spell Relief?

One of you people sent me something about FODMAPs once...  

IBS management through diet

A long-term study has shown that those who suffer irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can effectively manage the condition by avoiding certain types of foods that trigger their symptoms.
Monash researchers have provided evidence from a long-term study that a diet low in foods belonging to a family of carbohydrates, FODMAPs (fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) effectively reduces symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). FODMAPs are poorly absorbed by the digestive tract.

 I'm shocked, shocked to learn food affects the intestines...

abstract

Therapeutic Self Injury

Study suggests pathways to alleviating inflammation in disorders such as sepsis, arthritis

The researchers already knew that stimulation of one of the body's major nerves, the vagus nerve, triggers processes in the body that reduce inflammation, so they set out to see whether a form of acupuncture that sends a small electric current through that and other nerves could reduce inflammation and organ injury in septic mice. Ulloa explains that increasing the current magnifies the effect of needle placement, and notes that electrification is already FDA-approved for treating pain in human patients.
When electroacupuncture was applied to mice with sepsis, molecules called cytokines that help limit inflammation were stimulated as predicted, and half of those mice survived for at least a week. There was zero survival among mice that did not receive acupuncture.
Ulloa and his team then probed further, to figure out exactly why the acupuncture treatments had succeeded. And they made a discovery that, on its face, was very disappointing. They found that when they removed adrenal glands – which produce hormones in the body – the electroacpuncture stopped working.
That discovery, on its face, presented a big roadblock to use of acupuncture for sepsis in humans, because most human cases of sepsis include sharply reduced adrenal function. In theory, electroacupuncture might still help a minority of patients whose adrenal glands work well, but not many others.
So the researchers dug even deeper – to find the specific anatomical changes that occurred when electroacupuncture was performed with functioning adrenal glands. Those changes included increased levels of dopamine, a substance that has important functions within the immune system. But they found that adding dopamine by itself did not curb the inflammation. They then substituted a drug called fenoldopam that mimics some of dopamine's most positive effects, and even without acupuncture they succeeded in reducing sepsis-related deaths by 40 percent.

I suspected acupuncture triggered dopamine.  I think I want some now.  Ha.
And to my reader in Australia-  acupuncture alleviates the symptoms of infection.   Told ya.


abstract

Just So You Know

My goal here is not to answer all your questions or tell you what to do.
My goal is to get you to the point you can think again, and figure out all the details for me... 
Ha.

As I was Saying

Dr. Drew's daughter reveals battle with eating disorder

Thereby confirming the obvious- her father is full of shit.

"Eating disorders shouldn't be a secret because that's what perpetuates them."

Um, no.   It's nonsense like that, which doesn't solve the actual problem, that perpetuates them.

Brain Eating Zombies of the Week

It's "Eating Disorders Week".  Be prepared for lots of bullshit from the "National Eating Disorders Association".

Eating Disorders About More Than Just Food

Common eating disorders currently include anorexia nervosa (characterized by the insistent pursuit of being thin), bulimia nervosa (characterized by the cycle of binge-eating and purging), and binge eating disorder (binge-eating without purging). However, a relatively rare eating disorder is also garnering more attention as of late. A recent article in the Journal of Adolescent Health discussed the lesser known eating ailment called Night Eating Syndrome, a disorder characterized by excessive night eating and found in an estimated 3 percent of the study participants surveyed.

That is binge eating.  Stop making shit up just to get headlines.

Although eating disorders are often characterized by a person’s relationship with food and eating habits, health experts are quick to remind those affected that eating disorders are about more than just food... Many eating disorders are characterized by underlying mental health issues that must be taken into account to ensure successful treatment programs. The most common mental health issues found in patients with eating disorders are mood disorders, depression, and obsessive compulsive behaviors.

It has nothing to do with anyone's "relationship to food".  That's an effect, not a cause.  And those mental health correlations are due to the fact that  mood and food are regulated by the same neurotransmitters.

While genetics often play a role in eating disorder predisposition, some believe that the increase in atypical eating habits and societal pressures, including those perpetuated by the media, can also contribute to the prevalence of eating disorders.

Only because the media perpetuates erroneous medical information about food... like this article.

However, college students are not the only population reflecting an increase in poor body image. Troubling survey results released by NEDA indicated that insecurities around body image can develop when kids are still in elementary school. The survey indicated that a shocking 42 percent of first, second, and third graders report a desire to be thinner.

Yes, well maybe because they are fat.  They are fat, you know.  And they would like not to be.  Why don't you teach them sugar makes them gain weight and more hungry?  Oh, because Tony the Tiger might freak out.

You're right, it's about more than food.  It's about insulin and basic endocrinology, something almost everyone can understand if they get some actual facts.   A good time for that might be during "Eating Disorders Awareness Week", doncha think?  Oh never mind... your goal isn't education, it's attracting patients to your useless clinics, even though you admit you do not understand what causes eating disorders.

See the future

Researchers suggest fecal transplants should be regulated as tissue not drug

A trio of researchers are suggesting in a Comment piece in the journal Nature, that the FDA should cease regulating fecal transplants as drugs and should instead begin treating them as tissue product procedures. In their article, Mark Smith, Colleen Kelly and Eric Alm suggest that treating fecal material as a drug is inhibiting research into its beneficial possibilities and is preventing its use in many instances by physicians unwilling to undergo the bureaucratic process needed with unapproved drugs.

First Fecal Transplant Bank Opens

The Massachusetts-based company has delivered stool samples to 13 hospitals around the country.

Bacteria Help Make Healthy Sausages

This is serious science, but scatological humor seems to be irresistible.

Too Much Information

Thyroid cancer epidemic? No. Overdiagnosis epidemic? Yes.

The findings, published in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, has revealed that the reported number of cases of thyroid cancer rose from 4.9 to 14.2 for every 100,000 people. The increase was greater in women than in men, although the death rate for thyroid cancer for the period covering 1975 through 2009 remained stable at 0.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals.
The study has also found that the increase of incidence in thyroid cancer diagnoses can be attributed to the detection of small papillary cancer, which is a less aggressive form of cancer, and not likely to cause death or disease. For the researchers, this translates to an epidemic of over-diagnosis, which in turn raises the question of whether all cancers, regardless of gravity, required aggressive treatment.

Yes, screening tests seem to be in everyone's best interest- except the patients.

By the way

There are a lot of people in Arizona who are disgusted by the legislature's passage of SB 1062- for the right reasons- because it's hateful and unAmerican.

Frankly, I think the governor will veto the bill- but for the wrong reason.  Arizona's economy relies on tourism, and the business community is terrified this will cut into their bottom line.
Good.   They should be.  It's appalling.

I find it annoying that she is taking her time coming up with the right weasel words (It's too vague and broad or something, I'm sure) rather than JUST SAY NO, but the perfect is the enemy of the good, I guess.

I love this beautiful desert and the diversity of people here.  I still have hope.

Brain Eating Zombies of the Day

Shift away from glycemic control in diabetes treatment detailed

A new editorial proposes a simple way for physicians to communicate to patients about the best treatments for (Type 2) diabetes. The “lending a hand” illustration reprioritizes treatment goals, based on research on mortality reduction, to convey that glycemic control is no longer the primary intervention. The “lending a hand” illustration uses the fingers of an open hand to depict diabetes interventions from thumb to pinky in descending order of benefit, relative to complications and mortality.
The five major forms of diabetes interventions are arranged in descending order of importance from thumb to pinky. The order is smoking cessation, blood pressure control, metformin therapy, lipid reduction, and glucose control, respectively.

Holy Hyperglycemia Batman! That is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever read.
The reason their glucose control protocol isn't effective is because they use insulin injections instead of carbohydrate restriction.  They tell people to eat fruits and grains and cover the glucose spike by shooting up.  The ensuing hypoglycemia-craving cycle is actually worse than natural blood sugar swings.

(Not to mention, their serum glucose limits are too high to prevent damage . My husband is Type 1, but the hospital would not even consider giving him insulin unless his blood sugar was over 200. That's ridiculous.  Capillary damage starts at about 150.   No wonder people are going blind and losing toes.)

Some facts you can use

Methamphetamine: Fact vs. Fiction and Lessons from the Crack Hysteria

The report recommends that national and international policymakers review laws that harshly punish methamphetamine possession or use, invest in treatment rather than punishment, restudy the restriction of access to amphetamines for legitimate medical purposes, and stop supporting wasteful and ineffective campaigns of misinformation on methamphetamine use.

36 pg. PDF here

However, they don't mention how eating  a lot of sugar promotes amphetemine use.

Exquisite Pile Management

Virginia Tech scientist proposes revolutionary naming system for all life on Earth

More than 1,200 strains of anthrax — or Bacillus anthracis — exist. Each one possesses an arbitrary name chosen by researchers that does nothing to illuminate genetic similarities.
With the naming scheme developed by Vinatzer, the name of every single anthrax strain would contain the information of how similar it is to other strains. Using Vinatzer's genome sequence, the Ames strain used in the bioterrorist attack would, for example, be known as lvlw0x and the ancestor of this strain stored at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases would be known as lvlwlx.

This obsessive compulsive librarian absolutely approves.

Oh the Irony

Behold the power of dopamine.

The same chemical which stimulates profligate hoarding and arrogance in some people-
Fuels the long struggle for equality and justice in others.

Greetings to my loyal readers in Ukraine.
Fight the good fight.

A Good Sign

Medscape interviews Dr. Perlmutter, rather than blatantly ignoring him.

Dementia: Is Gluten the Culprit?

"Gluten-containing foods stimulate inflammatory reactions in a significant number of individuals, well beyond the 1.8% of the population that has celiac disease. This may lead to increased bowel permeability and even increased blood/brain barrier permeability, as described by Dr. Alessio Fasano (formerly at the University of Maryland, now at Harvard).  The mechanism deals with the expression of the protein zonulin brought on by gluten exposure. What is so compelling about this newer research is the fact that this reaction to gluten may occur in all humans.
This may explain to some degree the array of neurologic issues now correlated with gluten sensitivity in nonceliac patients, as described by Dr. Anna Sapone and colleagues.  So we have to look at gluten sensitivity in a new light, recognizing that its manifestations may extend well beyond the gut. Writing in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, Dr. Marios Hadjivassilou stated, "That gluten sensitivity is regarded as principally a disease of the small bowel is a historical misconception. Gluten sensitivity can be primarily and at times exclusively a neurological disease."

I knew it

Cavities are contagious, research shows

I never had a cavity until I started french kissing that boy in high school...
and then I got them in every molar.
(whatever microbes he had, they also triggered acute OCD)

Under your nose

Study in mice raises question: Could PTSD involve immune response to stress?

Which raises the more obvious question, could it involve an immune response to infection?

Through the looking glass

Schizophrenics at greater risk of getting diseases

Researchers have long known that people with autoimmune diseases, such as hepatitis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis, are at greater risk of developing schizophrenia.
But new research based on data sets covering the majority of the Danish population shows that the development goes both ways: People suffering from schizophrenia also have an increased risk of contracting autoimmune diseases, especially if they have suffered from a severe infection.
...According to Michael E. Benrós, a lot seems to suggest that infections are a determining factor.
"It could be that people with schizophrenia are genetically vulnerable to infections, which increases the risk of getting schizophrenia but also autoimmune diseases," he says and proceeds to explain that the human immune system can react to an infection by producing antibodies that do not merely react to the infection; the antibodies also start breaking down the body's own tissue. This is how autoimmune diseases develop.
Another possible explanation could be that neuropsychiatric symptoms diagnosed as schizophrenia are the first signs that an autoimmune disease has developed but has not yet been detected.

And he nails the landing!

abstract

Science you can use

Alcohol is not a direct cause of cognitive impairment in older men

He said that a commonly held belief, based on previous association studies, was that excessive alcohol use is a cause of cognitive impairment. However, the link had never actually been proven.
He and his fellow researchers decided to test the theory by examining a gene known to be responsible for how successfully a person is able to metabolise alcohol - that is, their degree of tolerance for alcohol.
...Professor Almeida said that if heavy alcohol use is a direct cause of cognitive impairment, then people with the genetic variant that makes them avoid alcohol should have lower risk of cognitive impairment later in life. However, that was not the case.

No evidence that alcohol causes depression, study finds
They used the same protocol, had surprisingly similar results.

I think this is some of the most groundbreaking research in a century.
Relegates the assumption that "people get what they deserve" to the trash can.
Those "self-inflicted conditions"...

Thank you, thank you very much.

An A for effort, D for accuracy

7 foods that were supposed to be incredibly unhealthy, but are actually anything but

They've got some of this right-  milk, eggs, coconut oil, for example.

A couple comments:
Antioxidants have been proven not to help anything and sometimes increase cancer.
Dark Chocolate may be healthful, but it's not because of the antioxidants.   It's also got lots of arginine and promotes oropharygeal microbial activity.

Coffee may have lots of antioxidants, but that's not why it's healthy.   It lowers insulin resistance and has antimicrobial properties which inhibit mouth infections...  if you put sugar in it, you cancel those effects.

Salt also lowers insulin resistance,  that's probably why it's so wonderful on chips and fries.   But helicobacter pylori bacteria in your stomach thrive on that combination.

No, popcorn is not healthy in any way.   And it's not because of the "butter flavored saturated fats".  It's because it's practically 100% carbohydrates that convert to sugar in your mouth.  And that "whole grain husk" is as common an allergen as wheat and soy.   And it tears up your gums.

THIS is Why

Because Christina was so sick she nearly dropped out of college.   But she changed her diet,  got better, and she stayed in school.
Yesterday, one of the experiments she worked on as an undergrad was published in PNAS and the study has an article on National Geographic. (summary here)  That's freakin impressive!
The topic is pretty cool, too.  Why humans don't metabolize fructose efficiently.

You'll just have to wait a a couple years 'til she publishes what she's working on now. 
She's gonna teach everyone a thing or two about narcolepsy... heh.

A brain is a terrible thing to waste.

Quote of the Day

"No one cares about crazy people."

            Kelly Rindfleisch  -in response to a scandal at a Wisconsin mental health facility.

And while I'm at it

Some Plans Refuse To Cover Medical Costs Related To Suicide Despite Federal Rules 

It's a "self-inflicted condition".   Uh huh.

See the Matrix

Newly Elected President Of Institute of Medicine Is On The Pepsico Board Of Directors
..as well as Alynlam Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, and Medtronic.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an American non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences.
Its purpose is to provide national advice on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine, and health, and its mission to serve as adviser to the nation to improve health. It works outside the framework of the U.S. federal government to provide independent guidance and analysis and relies on a volunteer workforce of scientists and other experts, operating under a formal peer-review system. The Institute aims to provide unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large.

Raising Awareness

Your health is not the primary goal of the health care industry.

Vast Study Casts Doubts on Value of Mammograms

It found that the death rates from breast cancer and from all causes were the same in women who got mammograms and those who did not. And the screening had harms: One in five cancers found with mammography and treated was not a threat to the woman’s health and did not need treatment such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.
The study, published Tuesday in The British Medical Journal, is one of the few rigorous evaluations of mammograms conducted in the modern era of more effective breast cancer treatments. It randomly assigned Canadian women to have regular mammograms and breast exams by trained nurses or to have breast exams alone.
Researchers sought to determine whether there was any advantage to finding breast cancers when they were too small to feel. The answer is no, the researchers report.

But yearly mammograms do add lots of value to the testing centers and pink charities, now don't they?

'Prostate cancer test has been misused for money'
Pathologist Richard Ablin discovered the PSA antigen 40 years ago. He says it should never have been used as a cancer screening tool for all men.

Your book condemns the use of PSA for cancer screening. What do you hope to accomplish?
I hope to expose how the urology community and drug industry misused the PSA test, putting money over the best interests of patients. I also want to show how the US Food and Drug Administration failed in its duty to the public: its advisers warned that routine PSA screening would cause a public health disaster, but it was approved under pressure from advocacy groups and drug companies.

The great thing about testing is the labs make money whether you're sick or not...

Expected Behavior

Medication: The smart-pill oversell

Evidence is mounting that medication for ADHD doesn't make a lasting difference to schoolwork or achievement.

Yes, that'll happen when you only address the symptoms, not the underlying illness.

See previous post.

Brain Eating Zombies of the Day

Oh, you can be sure the pharmas are salivating over this...  a simple way to find kids who "need" pre-emptive antidepressant therapy...  cha ching!

Saliva test may identify boys at greatest risk of depression

Ian Goodyer of the Cambridge University's Department of Psychiatry said teenage boys with symptoms of depression and raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol were up to 14 times more likely to develop major depression than those without these traits.
...The researcher team collected samples of saliva from hundreds of teenagers and measured the levels of cortisol, as well as self-reported information on symptoms of depression. The researchers divide the data of the teenagers into one of four groups depending on their cortisol levels and symptoms of depression.

It has been known since 1958 that infection and bacteremia raise cortisol levels.  They should have checked those kids mouths and blood as soon as they found high levels.   Not wait for them to get clinically depressed...   sheesh.

More positive results

Vitamin D provides relief for those with chronic hives

Over 12 weeks, 38 study participants daily took a triple-drug combination of allergy medications (one prescription and two over-the-counter drugs) and one vitamin D3, an over-the-counter supplement. Half of the patient's took 600 IUs of vitamin D3 and the other half took 4000 IUs.
Researchers found after just one week, the severity of patients' symptoms decreased by 33 percent for both groups. But at the end of three months, the group taking 4000 IUs of vitamin D3 had a further 40 percent decrease in severity of their hives. The low vitamin D3 treatment group had no further improvement after the first week.

The cause of hives is not generally known, but allergy and autoimmune reactions sometimes play a role. Treatment options for chronic hives are limited.

It's shocking how something that regulates autoimmune response is beneficial to people with allergic reactions...

I need to get out more

Honestly, how did I miss this?

Good news! There's a gluten-free Girl Scout cookie

Maybe because I don't eat cookies at all?   4 cookies= 17g carbs    (and craving the whole box of cookies)

They link to this article though- very interesting...

...nearly 30 percent of adults said they want to “cut down or be free of gluten,” according to The NDP Group.

That's about the amount of people estimated to be gluten sensitive. Go figure.

Well How About That

Weed Could Block H.I.V.’s Spread. No, Seriously.

The changes that THC produces in the gut a process formally known as “microbial translocation,” isn’t as complicated as it sounds. During HIV infection, one of the earliest effects is that the virus spreads rapidly throughout the body and kills a significant part of cells in the gut and intestine. This activity damages the gut in a way that allows the HIV to leak through the cell wall of the intestines and into the bloodstream.
When THC is introduced into this environment, it activates the CB2 receptors in the intestines to build new, healthy bacterial cells that block the virus from leaking through the cell walls. In other words, the body works hard to keep bad stuff in the intestines and the good stuff out.
Put another way: HIV kills the cells that protect the walls— THC brings them back. Reducing the amount of the virus in the lower intestines could then help keep uninfected people uninfected.

Healing guts.  That explains a whole lot.

here's the abstract

Intelligent Idleness

Reading to toddlers before naps significantly enhances learning

Another Cuppa

Coffee consumption linked with reduced risk of diabetes

The Circle of Insanity

On the other hand-

Scientists call solitary confinement 'damaging and unnecessary'

"The more common response is for people to become increasingly depressed, and to be enveloped by a sense of hopelessness."
Self-harming is not an uncommon practice, he says, and there are documented cases of individuals with no pre-existing mental illness or psychiatric symptoms going on to develop them in the course of their isolation.
Prof Huda Akil from the University of Michigan studies the brain biology of stress, emotions and depression. She said there was ample data in the literature to demonstrate the deleterious effects of solitary confinement.
"We have a vast amount of knowledge about the brain and how it responds to each one of the elements [of solitary confinement]. The lack of physical activity, the lack of interaction with the natural world like sunlight, the lack of interactions with other human beings, the lack of visual stimulation, the lack of touch - each one of those has been studied not just in humans but in animal models such as rodents. And each one by itself is sufficient to change the brain and change it dramatically."

The terrible nutrition and lack of vitamin D is enough to make anyone chronically sick.
Institutional induced illness.

Brain Eating Zombies of the Day

Loneliness twice as unhealthy as obesity for older people, study finds

Scientists found that the loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during their six-year study than the least lonely.
Compared with the average person in the study, those who reported being lonely had a 14% greater risk of dying. The figure means that loneliness has around twice the impact on an early death as obesity. Poverty increased the risk of an early death by 19%.
...Caroline Abrahams at Age UK said the study added to a growing body of research showing that being lonely not only made life miserable for older people, but also made them more vulnerable to illness and disease.
..."It's time we took loneliness seriously as a threat to a happy and healthy later life. We need to do more to support older people to stay socially connected."

However-

The researchers found that some people were happy living a life of solitude. Others still felt lonely, and suffered the health impacts of loneliness, even with family and friends close by.
...Previous studies have linked loneliness to a range of health problems, from high blood pressure and a weakened immune system to a greater risk of depression, heart attack and strokes. In his recent book, Loneliness, John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, says that the pain of loneliness is akin to physical pain.

Yes, well maybe that's because loneliness is a cognitive symptom of illness, not an independent variable.
Don't you people read your own research? Or real science?

Home Improvement

How to Get Coffee To Flow Through Every Tap in Your Home  (4:22 min video)

oh me oh my, that's genius.

As I was saying

Charlie Sheen is getting married again

To a porn star.  Mercy mercy.

Dirty Thoughts

A Smart Toilet That Aims to Correct Poor Posture, and Even Detect Pregnancy and Disease

Yeah, no thank you.

Porn, addictive? There’s no proof

The author of a new study on "porn addiction" talks with Salon about why the concept is all wrong.

My hypothesis:  it's plain old autoimmune OCD.  Only the infection is urogenital.   More dopamine, more reward, more repetition of the behavior which promotes the infection.  I am assuming of course, that nobody "just looks" at porn...

fun with medical history (1933)

Just Do It

Vitamin D versus H1N1 Flu

Off Topic

Bet there's a lesson in here somewhere...

Crazy ants dominate fire ants by neutralizing their venom

Invasive "crazy ants" are rapidly displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern US by secreting a compound that neutralizes fire ant venom, according to a new study. It's the first known example of an insect with the ability to detoxify another insect's venom.

Heh.  They just look crazy.

Paging Robert Koch

Common infections may increase risk for memory decline

Researchers found an index of antibody levels caused by exposure to Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 was associated with worse cognitive performance, including memory, speed of mental processing, abstract thinking, planning and reasoning ability.

Common infections linked to stroke in children

In the VIPS study, researchers found that common infections within the past week were linked to more than six times the risk of stroke, Hills said. Seventeen percent of the stroke patients vs. 3 percent of the non-stroke patients were reported to have had any minor infection in the prior week. The most frequent types of infection were colds and other upper respiratory infections (8 percent of the stroke and 2.4 percent of the non-stroke patients reported an occurrence of these kinds of infections in the prior week).

How to get sick

Go to the doctor.

New research shows that well-child doctor appointments for annual exams and vaccinations are associated with an increased risk of flu-like illnesses in children and family members within two weeks of the visit. This risk translates to more than 700,000 potentially avoidable illnesses each year, costing more than $490 million annually.

Yep.
I was kind of freaking out in the emergency room waiting area the other night. Kids coughing everywhere... I wouldn't touch anything.

(update- he is home, pretty banged up but no neuro damage...  Happy Valentines Day to me!)

The Hokey Pokey

I am the luckiest person in the world.

Two nights ago, my husband fell and bumped his head, and needed to go to the hospital-
And I drove him there.   And stayed up all night with him.
He fractured his skull, but he is going to be fine, and I will bring him home today.
(behold the power of a low carb diet, fish oil, and daily aspirin...)

He has been taking care of me and my illnesses for a long time.
And mine aren't obvious head trauma-  they're weird and ambiguous brain twerks.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to pay him back.
Just to be able to reciprocate at all.
I am truly blessed.

Blame Doctors

Food Deserts Aren’t the Problem

Getting fresh fruits and vegetables into low-income neighborhoods doesn’t make poor people healthier...

Why, then, do campaigns like the Healthy Food Financing Initiative persist? The push for fresh food is usually considered a progressive cause, connected as it is to criticisms of processed foods’ effect on health. And the most prominent voices against the fresh-food push have been conservative, from Rush Limbaugh to Reason magazine. But look a little closer, and fresh-food financing initiatives are a pretty conservative idea. They offer a market-based opportunity for individuals to make better choices about health, leaving the impression that people living in poverty get sick for reasons that are within their control.
...Bruce McEwan, one of the pioneers of research in the biology of health inequality, coined the term “allostatic load” to describe the cumulative wear and tear of stress reactions over time. Stress reactions, like floods of adrenaline and cortisol and increased blood pressure, are helpful as short-term reactions to dangerous or challenging situations. But if stress reactions are constant, they create physiological conditions that damage the body. “One of the things having an elevated sympathetic response is that you have an inflammatory tone in the body,” McEwan explains. “Inflammation underlies all of the diseases of modern life—from cancer to depression to neurological diseases.” Those diseases of modern life also include heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes—illnesses we typically associate with poverty.

But the implication of McEwan’s research—that poverty itself is making people ill—is not one that Americans are prepared to accept. Instead, we build supermarkets, finance green grocer carts, and teach former inmates about fennel, feeling like we’re promoting a progressive effort to improve the plight of the disadvantaged. Meanwhile, poor people are living shorter, sicker lives, with no helpful new policy in sight.

No, food deserts aren't the problem.   And inflammation isn't the problem.   And poverty isn't the problem.
The problem is erroneous medical information.  Which is only perpetuated in this article.
Fruits and vegetables are not a solution to obesity or diabetes.   Infection causes inflammation and chronic illnesses and stress.   And illness results in poverty.

They've got it all backwards.
Damn I'm tired of living in this mirror.

Oh Really

A Scientific Explanation of How Marijuana Causes the Munchies

THC appears to increase our sensitivity to scents and flavors by using naturally occurring neural networks to convince the brain that it's starving.

Apparently it activates the olfactory bulb.   They speculate it then activates the nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus and increases ghrelin activity.
But orexin is also highly involved with the olfactory bulb, nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus, and shares receptors with the endocannibinoid system too....  maybe it is actually increasing orexin...
Marijuana also reduces insulin resistance... possibly an effect of orexin.

If I don't eat carbs when I smoke pot, I don't get the munchies.  And I have more energy and am more motivated, not less.
Fascinating.

here's the abstract and references.
and ooh.

Why Xyrem is so expensive

Why does Jazz charge so much for Xyrem?   Because they can.
Xyrem is patented for use as a narcolepsy drug and it has orphan drug status from the FDA.

That means that even though GHB is a generic drug, doctors can't prescribe it for narcolepsy patients unless they use Jazz' patented version.  And since it is a class C drug, doctors can't order it unless they disclose the patient's diagnosis.

In addition, Orphan Drug status means they can charge anything they want for it.  It's a program that was instituted to insure pharmas are financially compensated for providing a drug to just a small number of patients.  The drugs are required to be subsidized by insurance companies and the government too. So what has happened is a whole cottage industry of shameless companies have popped up taking advantage of desperately ill people.  Here's a good article.  
(update: here's an even better one. )

GHB is a generic chemical that is about as simple, and costs about as much to produce as alcohol.
99% of what Jazz charges for it is pure profit.

And in case you're interested- Xyrem works by raising your insulin sensitivity and lowering your insulin production.   You can accomplish the same thing using a special diet and exercise.

Duh Science

Bacteria in the lungs make COPD patients sicker

Conventional wisdom has held that even though bacteria persist in the lungs of patients with chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), their presence, referred to as 'colonization,' is innocuous so long as the patient isn't having a flare-up, or exacerbation, of respiratory symptoms.
Now, a new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shows that COPD patients do experience more respiratory symptoms when their lungs are 'colonized' by bacteria, even in the absence of an acute exacerbation.

Yeah.  Go effin figure.

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Dr. Jeffrey Young

New therapy for personality disorders proven more effective than other major treatments

What sets Schema Therapy apart from all the other major treatments for personality disorders, including treatments like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, is its use of limited reparenting. This involves the therapist doing more to directly meet the early core emotional needs of the patient. Limited reparenting is organized around modes, or parts of the self. The therapist works to get past modes like the Detached Protector and Punitive Parent Mode to reach the Vulnerable Child Mode. Direct access to the Vulnerable Child is the key to the therapist being able to meet these needs and is the cornerstone of treatment. All the major alternatives involve the therapist talking to the adult patient about their vulnerabilities and thus are more focused on adult to adult interactions. Schema therapy focuses on direct contact between the therapist and this vulnerable or child part of the self. This sets a very different tone to the treatment; one that patients respond readily to and that is believed to be the reason for the unusually low drop out rate. The adult side of the patient is gradually brought in as it becomes healthy enough to take over for the therapist.
... The therapists using Schema Therapy in the study were not experts in Schema Therapy. In fact, they were therapists already employed in Dutch community mental health centers who expressed interest in Schema Therapy, received four days of training, and then peer supervision throughout the study (as well as yearly expert supervision)

OMG shut up shut up shut up!    None of those big fancy words mean anything in reality!
You do not need to treat us like CHILDREN-  treat us like the SICK PEOPLE we are.
Get us some medical and dental and dietary care, you presumptuous pompous waste of time and resources and other peoples' brain cells...

Maniac of the Day

Over the edge...
Shia LaBeouf Leaves Press Conference; Reappears at Premiere Wearing Paper Bag

And this is probably why-
Shia Labeouf pulls out own tooth

Seriously dude, don't do shit like that.
It's crazy and dangerous.

Self injury is the hallmark behavior of autoimmune OCD.

For the Record

If your dentist tells you that you have gingival pockets and need a root planing but "do not have periodontal disease"-  that is a flat-out lie.
Gingival pockets mean Inflammation which means Immune Response, and root planing is only required for an excessive build up of plaque which is Bacteria.

Gingivitis IS low level periodontal infection.  Just because they have vague boundaries for the scientific terms is a matter of semantics, not science.

If they ignore gingivitis, just tell you to brush and floss more often- you will get periodontitis.
Good for dentists' revenue stream, not so much for your head.

Trust me.  Been there, done that.  Ruined my life.
And this would have prevented all of it.

Look a little closer

This study is all over the health news-

Eating low-fat yogurt may help prevent Type 2 diabetes: study

The evidence comes from a long-term health survey of men and women living in the eastern county of Norfolk, whose eating and drinking habits were detailed at the start of the investigation.
During the study's 11-year span, 753 people in the group developed adult-onset, also called Type 2, diabetes.
Those who ate low-fat fermented dairy products — a category that includes yogurts, fromage frais and low-fat cottage cheese — were 24 percent less likely to develop the disease compared to counterparts who ate none of these products.

I have a few comments...

1.  It's a correlational study.   People who ate yogurt had less diabetes.  A causality study would give people yogurt and see if their diabetes got better.   These results could also easily be explained by people who are prone to T2D do not eat yogurt for some reason.  Like maybe they are prone to strep infections or autoimmune reactions which probably do cause T2D.   Yogurt is made with streptococcal bacteria variants....  I know I can't tolerate it- gives me mouth ulcers. But I can eat lactobacillus fermeted products like sour cream and cheddar cheese with no problem.

2.  Consumption of high fat dairy products had no impact on the risk of T2D.   This is added as a note to support their low fat agenda.   However, since their is no increased risk, it shows no such thing.  And for the record, my husband likes yogurt, and their are NO high fat varieties.   And only one that is flavored and low carb.

3. "Volunteers' eating habits were recorded in exacting detail at the start of the study but this information was not updated during the ensuing 11 years. So it was unknown if or how they changed their diet over this time."    This is not a scientific study at all.

So hard to tell

If he's stupid, or just fking with us.

Drugs that replace hypocretin “should be like insulin for patients with type 1 diabetes”

— Emmanuel Mignot

Fun with Zombies

Naked Man Sleepwalking through Wellesley College Campus

Same Shit, Different Day

Sorry I missed this-

Jazz Pharma Buying Experimental Narcolepsy Drug

Jazz Pharmaceuticals said Monday it is acquiring an experimental narcolepsy drug in a deal that could be worth more than $397 million.
The drug is called ADX-N05, and it is being developed by Aerial BioPharma. The drug is intended to treat daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy patients, and Jazz said it wants to start late-stage testing as soon as possible.
The Irish drugmaker agreed to pay Aerial BioPharma $125 million upfront, and it could make another $272 million in payments if the drug reaches development milestones and sales targets. Aerial BioPharma will also get royalties on sales if the drug is approved.

And this is why-
FDA grants orphan designation to Aerial BioPharma’s ARL-N05 for treatment of narcolepsy
(same drug, different name)

More of the same duplicitous thievery from Jazz- they are counting on being able to charge whatever the hell they please, and having taxpayers subsidize the bill.

Aerial’s Exec VP of Drug and Development Gary Bream said ADX-NO5 is chemically distinct from modafinil and amphetamines, which (also) target the noradrenergic and dopaminergic pathways. He said it is too soon to know if it offers benefits over existing treatments.

And they haven't tested that.   Only tested against placebo.

Those pesky details

Americans need to eat more whole grains, study suggests

Most children and adults in the U.S. are getting less than the recommended amounts of whole grains and dietary fiber, according to a recent study.
Researchers found people who did eat the recommended three or more servings of whole grains each day also tended to consume the most fiber.
Reicks led the study at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. Her coauthors are all affiliated with General Mills, which funded the study.

Yes, those experts in "Breakfast Science" are at it again.

"More fiber" is not the same as "more grain".   Whole grains are mostly carbs and major allergens.

The lesser evil

Evidence that shivering and exercise may convert white fat to brown

Dr Lee showed that during cold exposure and exercise, levels of the hormone irisin (produced by muscle) and FGF21 (produced by brown fat) rose. Specifically, around 10-15 minutes of shivering resulted in equivalent rises in irisin as an hour of moderate exercise. In the laboratory, irisin and FGF21 turn human white fat cells into brown fat cells over a period of six days. The study is now published in Cell Metabolism.

Hard to say which one I would choose.   I truly hate being cold.  But I also dislike exercising.  Huh.

This is Why

Study finds high Rx burden for bipolar patients

A study of 230 patients with bipolar I disorder whose symptoms were severe enough to warrant admission to a Rhode Island psychiatric hospital in 2010 reveals that more than a third were there despite taking four or more psychiatric medications. Including medicines for other conditions, such as cardiometabolic diseases, the average patient came to the hospital taking six different drugs.

 Holy Headsmack Batman, they are obviously NOT HELPING.

Update:  Maybe that's because the goal is "symptom management" not "effective health care".

Correlation Games

Earlier depression treatment prevents heart attacks, strokes, study shows

Sugary foods linked to fatal heart disease

Antidepressants improve glycemic control

Bwa ha ha ha ha

Seattle’s general overall politeness (waiting for the crosswalk light to change while “rioting”?) has prompted the #HowSeattleRiots hashtag on Twitter. 
via Seattle Times

Laura Morgan @hilauram
Ate a cookie, that wasn't gluten free. #HowSeattleRiots

Brain Food

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Prevent Alzheimer's in the Elderly

A team of experts at the University of South Dakota assessed 1,111 post-menopausal women with an average age of 70 years from Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. They increased the levels of omega-3s in the diets of these women to check how these fatty acids are associated with brain shrinkage levels.
The levels of DHA and EPA (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) found in fatty acids show up in red blood cells. In a follow up eight years after the assessment, DHA and EPA levels were recorded in these participants and MRI scans done to check total brain volume. The results showed women with twice the high levels of fatty acids had 0.7 percent larger brain volume. They also found 2.7 percent increase in the volume of hippocampus area that is associated with learning and memory.

Non-Fishy Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Want to reap the heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but dislike fish? We've got you covered.

I actually think fish oil has other molecules that are antiviral, but I don't argue with vegetarians.

Totally Off Topic

Deal with it.
Even if I do live in Arizona, after enduring 20 years of rain, I get to cheer for the Seattle team.
Go Squawks Go!

Seahawks in Space: International Space Station flies 12th Man flag 

Update-  now that was a dream come true!   Kicked their ass!

Things that make me laugh

A brush with luxury: World's most expensive toothbrush will set you back a whopping £2,600

This is the world’s priciest toothbrush - a titanium ‘plaque destroyer’ with detachable bristle heads which costs an eye-watering £2,600.

The Reinast brush has, according to its makers, a special antibacterial protective layer which guards against germs.

Ummmm, the germs come from inside you, not the toothbrush.
And you can't get rid of them all...

Baking soda seems to be the most effective way to control them, and it costs a dollar a box.

Happy Endings

'I finally got to thank the man who saved my life'

After his "Find Mike" campaign, Jonny Benjamin is reunited with the man who talked him down off Waterloo Bridge six years ago.

Manic suicidal ideation is a transient phenomenon caused by acute infection.
No matter how urgent it feels - Please please please just wait until it passes.
Then figure out the source.  It's most likely a bad tooth or UTI.

Now, if only they had some reality based treatment options for that sick man...